George Borg Olivier

George Borg Olivier, (born July 5, 1911, Valletta, Malta—died October 29, 1980, Sliema), Maltese politician who led the Maltese Nationalist Party from 1950 to 1976 and twice served as the island’s prime minister (December 1950 to March 1955 and March 1962 to June 1971), including the period during which Malta gained independence from Britain in 1964.

Borg Olivier’s political philosophy was based on a moderate, pro-Western stance, and he campaigned throughout his career for Malta to retain its links with Britain and NATO, in opposition to his main political rival, Labour Party leader Dom Mintoff. Trained as a lawyer (1937) at the Royal University of Malta, Borg Olivier served on the council of government (1939–47) and in 1947 was elected to the Legislative Assembly created by the post-World War II constitution. He was minister of works and of education under Enrico Mizzi, whom he succeeded (1950) as Nationalist Party leader and prime minister. In 1955, after the failure of the coalition government, Mintoff was elected and stayed in power until his resignation provoked the constitutional crisis of 1958–62. In 1962 the Nationalists were returned to power, with Borg Olivier again prime minister. After endorsement by referendum of the independence constitution, the island became independent on September 21, 1964. Borg Olivier believed that the country’s economy as well as its defense interests were best served by strong links with Britain, but the economic benefits of that policy were eroded by British defense cuts. In 1971 Mintoff won the election, and in 1974 he declared Malta a republic. Borg Olivier remained the leader of the opposition until his retirement in 1977.